Polaroid
by Thats-So-Alex
Summary: We took a polaroid, you signed your name upon it, I put it in my wallet, hoping I'd see your face again. ExB - FAGE 11.
1. Chapter 1

FAGE 11. Are You In…?

Title: Polaroid

Written for: inlnbrt

Written By: Thats-So-Alex

Rating: T

Summary/Prompt used: Scottish Edward in a kilt with accent.

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(A C2 will be set up for all FAGE 11 entries, and details will be posted on the Facebook page)

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This is my second year participating in FAGE... maybe the only time you'll ever see me write! Once again a massive thank you goes out too my beta, Nicole (IdealSkeptic) and my Pre-Readers - including Amy (HoneymoonEdward) for being my cheerleaders. A massive thank you to MarieCarro for making yet another amazing banner - and also for helping me with technical issues. This story is dedicated to all of you. Also in case Kayla (ForeverRobsessed) is out there anyway, girl, I miss you! I hope everything is okay.

And to you, Jennifer, I hope you enjoy this story I cooked up.

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_We took a polaroid, you signed your name upon it, I put it in my wallet, hoping I'd see your face again. _

_We took a polaroid, captured the look in your eyes, it's only a matter of time, before it starts fading. _

_(Polaroid - Jonas Blue feat. Liam Payne and Lennon Stella.)_

_EPOV_

"Why do I have to wear this again?" I say as I put the belt through the loop to finish doing it up.

"Rose says that you're a character from some really popular TV Show -"

"Yes, Outlander."

Emmett rolls his eyes. "If you know what it is, why did you ask? She says that there's bound to be some chick there dressed as the girl from this show, and dude, we both know how much you need to get laid."

I punch his arm, and he just laughs at me. "I doubt Rose said that to you. Actually no, she probably did."

"You know it." He comes to stand in front of me. "Can you do my tie?"

"You'd think that you'd know how to tie a tie by now, Emmett."

"I do know how, I just have you here to do it for me tonight."

I finish up. "Yeah, yeah."

"Are you two almost ready? Alice will have my guts for garters if we're late." Rose says she walks into the room, putting in an earring.

I finish up my costume. "Who are you two going as anyway?"

"Edward, I already told you, you're supposed to be talking in a Scottish accent. And we are Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, duh."

"Do I really need to be using a Scottish accent the whole time?"

Rose sighs. "At least start when we get there. Emmett, let's go!"

xoxox

_BPOV_

"Alice, if you pull this corset much tighter I will die."

"Oh stop being a baby, this is all part of the look."

"Yeah because dead girl is a really good look," I mutter under my breath.

"What was that?" Alice says in a singsong voice.

"Nothing."

Alice wraps her arm around my shoulder. "C'mon, girl, you know tonight is gonna be _so _much fun! Try to take your mind off other stuff for a while." She kisses my cheek.

I turn around and hug her. "I know. Thank you."

She takes a step back from me. "So… what do you think of my costume?"

It doesn't look much like a costume to me, but I'm not about to tell her that. "You look great!"

Alice throws her head back and laughs. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Nope. Not a clue."

"That's okay, I don't suppose most people will. But I'm Mary Fiore. Jennifer Lopez played her in The Wedding Planner. Get it? 'Cos I'm an event planner?"

"Oh yeah! That's great."

"You still haven't got a clue, have you?"

"Nope." I laugh.

"I love you, Bella. This is why we're friends." She links her arm through mine. "C'mon, let's go to the party of the year!"

* * *

**Here we go... posting will be throughout the day. I hope you are enjoying it so far! **


	2. Chapter 2

We arrive at the hotel that Alice has got her party at this year and walk towards the elevator. We are the first here because it is her party after all, so we're getting some strange looks in the lobby of the hotel.

"I think this is my favourite part about your parties…getting strange looks from people as we arrive."

Alice pushes the button for the elevator. "It's only because you're in period dress. And for a change, your costume was actually your idea this year! I was so proud of you when you told me, I almost cried!"

"Har har." The elevator dings and the doors open. Alice steps in and I follow her. She pushes the button for the penthouse. "The Penthouse? How fancy."

"I know, right?!" She squeals. The elevator dings as we arrive to the top suite, and opens out into the main room. We step out of the elevator and into another masterpiece of Alice's.

New Year's Eve decorations are everywhere and the whole suite looks incredible. "You've outdone yourself again this year, Ali."

"I know." She walks over to a table near the elevator and picks up a Polaroid camera. "Now smile!"

Knowing better than to argue, I do as she says, Alice takes my picture. "What was that for?"

She shakes the Polaroid around a little waiting for it to develop and then goes back to the table. "I'm gonna have everybody that comes tonight have their Polaroid taken and left on the table here with their names and phone numbers." She winks at me and I roll my eyes. "That way if anybody hits it off, and I'm paying particular attention to you, they can pick up the Polaroid on the way out!" She writes my name and phone number on the picture. "Now come on, I need to check the rest of the place to make sure it all looks okay."

xoxo

_BPOV_

People started arriving at the party a while ago, and being the complete introvert that I apparently am, there's barely anybody that I recognise. I'm trying to hover near Alice but it's difficult when she's the host of the party and keeps wandering off to either check on stuff or greet the people that are arriving.

I'm standing by the drinks table when all of a sudden I hear somebody shout the name of the character I'm dressed up as.

"Claire!"

I pause for a moment and then decide to ignore it. There could be a dozen people at this party with that name. I go to take another sip of my drink when I hear the same voice shout the name again.

"Claire!"

I turn around and see somebody dressed up as Jamie from Outlander and realise I'm not going crazy but the person who keeps calling me Claire might be.

He comes to stand closer to me and I'm momentarily awed by how good his costume is. He's wearing the full highland warrior get-up including the tartan kilt with a sporran… and of course everybody here (including myself… even if he does seem crazy) is wondering if he's wearing it authentically, if you know what I mean. If I was texting Alice about him… this is where I'd add a winking face.

"Claire, I found you again!" His Scottish accent is suspiciously good and he winks at me.

I feel my lips lifting at the corners in an involuntary smile. "Jamie." I leave off the English accent but dip into a curtsey.

He frowns. "You aren't English, you can't be Claire." He carries on speaking in a Scottish accent.

"Believe me, you don't want me to even try speaking in an English accent." I smile. "Are you even really Scottish?"

He feigns horror by gasping and putting his hand on his heart. "I am Jamie Fraser, of course I'm Scottish."

I begin to worry that this guy is a complete nutcase, no matter how good looking he is. I frown and decide I'm going to try and make an escape to find Alice and get away from him.

He obviously notices the confusion on my face and grins.

_Okay, this guy is a complete lunatic. _

"No, I'm not really Scottish."

I'm too busy looking over his shoulder to see if I can find Alice that I don't realise he's not speaking in a Scottish accent anymore.

"Huh?" I turn back to him and raise my eyebrows.

He chuckles. "I said that I'm not really Scottish." And then he winks at me. _Again. _

"Oh! You're American. That was a very convincing Scottish accent!"

"Yeah." He looks sheepish. "Don't tell my friends that I'm not using the accent. I was told I had to use it all night but it starts to get annoying."

I can't help but laugh. I look over his shoulder and spot Alice on the other side of the room looking over at us, she winks and puts both her thumbs up and I can feel myself starting to blush.

The guy looks over his shoulder to see where I'm looking and then looks back at me with a grin on his face. I look back towards Alice and she's fanning herself.

I snort and then cover my mouth in embarrassment.

"I'm Edward, by the way."

"I'm Bella."

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella." In a moment of obviously staying true to his character he picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. I blush even more.

"You have a very good costume." His hair is a little bit off, more of a rusty bronze colour but I'm liking it. And the rest of his face.

"You too."

"It'll be better when I can breathe later." I laugh.

We chat for a while, I find out that Edward is a travel writer and that he's been to Scotland many times and it's why he's so good at the accent… at least he says it sounds good to Americans but he wouldn't ever attempt the accent for an actual Scottish person.

I tell him I'm a veterinarian and that Alice is my best friend which is why I'm at this party, I tell him that she holds them every year and always tries to up her game each New Year's Eve.

"So who did you come here with?" I ask.

He turns around to have a quick look and then turns back to me and points out two people over the other side of the room. "Emmett and Rosalie."

I shrug. "I actually don't know why I asked." I laugh. "I never know anybody except Alice at these parties."

He looks confused. "But didn't you say you come every year?"

I blush and look away. "Well yeah, I recognise people but it doesn't mean I know them. Introvert." I point at myself. "I'm more comfortable with animals."

He grabs my hand. "Why do you think I travel for a living?"

I smile. "At least your job is glamorous and you aren't knee deep in animal bits every day."

He laughs. "I thought you just said you enjoy your job!"

I grin at him and he smiles softly back at me. I briefly look over his shoulder and see Alice signaling to me from over the way. "Do you want a drink?"

"Oh, shit. I probably should've asked you that ages ago. I'll grab 'em." He starts to walk off and then turns back and runs his hand through his hair. "What are you drinking?"

Oh, he's cute. "Rum and coke."

"Gotcha." He grins at me and walks off.

I walk off towards Alice who is practically bouncing up and down. I roll my eyes. "Oh, calm down."

"Bella! Oh my god! That was amazing!"

"Have you been watching that whole time?"

She looks at me like I've just grown a second head. "Duh!"

I shake my head. "Oh, Alice."

She links her arm through mine and we start to walk off. "Tell me everything!" she whispers conspiratorially.

"You just told me that you watched the whole thing!"

We stop walking and she gives me side-eye.

"Okay, I know better than that by now."

"Good girl."


	3. Chapter 3

Alice and I are sat at a table talking about Edward. "When he just started saying your character name! Oh my god, it was crazy! Who has the balls to just do that?!"

I laugh. "Oh I know, I thought he was crazy for sure and I kept looking around for you!"

She winks. "Obviously you changed your mind."

I duck my head down. "He's cute."

"Girl! He is more than cute!" She laughs. "Hey, did you want a drink?"

I frown and then realise that Edward never came back after he went off to get us both a drink. "Alice, how long have we been sat here talking?"

"Um. Half an hour?"

I bite my lip and look around me a little trying to see if I can spot him.

"Bella?"

I turn back to Alice. "He went off to get us a drink and he hasn't come back." I laugh humorlessly. "So much for seeming like we hit it off."

"Oh, don't be such a party pooper." I look at Alice, who's folded her arms and is looking seriously at me. "Get up and go and look for him!"

I push the chair back and stand up. "C'mon, then."

Alice stands up too and we walk off in search of Edward.

xoxo

We've been wandering around this party for a good thirty minutes and haven't been able to find him again.

"Who did you say he came with?"

"I didn't. He said somebody called Rosemary?"

"Rosalie?"

"Yes, that's the one!"

"I met her at my gym, but I invited a lot of people from the gym so I don't really know her very well. But let's see if we can find her." Alice walks off with determination.

I stay waiting for Alice. She comes back about five minutes later and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Bella. I don't know where they went."

I shrug, trying to shake off the feeling of being unwanted. "Hey, don't worry about it. My ex left me because I'm a workaholic, and the same would've happened here, wouldn't it?"

"Bella." Alice hugs me. "He was probably a jerk anyway."

I hug her back and she suddenly jumps back. "Oh my god! The Polaroid table!" She runs off, literally.

I follow her. "How do you move like that in heels that size?!"

"Your Polaroid is gone!"

"Where is his?"

Alice looks around the table, and holds it up and then hands it to me. "Some idiot has split their drink here!"

The phone number on the bottom of the Polaroid has faded away because of the liquid that's been split on it.

"If I do this next year I swear to God I will not allow drinks by this table! Argh!" Alice turns back to me with her hands in a prayer motion. "Please tell me you got his number, Bella."

I look down, finding my shoes very interesting.

"Bella?"

I look back at Alice. "No?" It comes out like a question.

"Jesus H Roosevelt Christ, Bella!"

I can't help but laugh knowing that Alice has chosen Claire's expletive of choice to shout at me.

"In my defence, you said it was gonna be on the Polaroid's! So I didn't really think it was necessary and also if he hadn't wandered off and we'd talked a bit more then maybe I'd have had the chance to ask!"

There's commotion behind us and other people at the party are starting the countdown to midnight.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

People around us start to hug and kiss one another and there are fireworks going off outside.

I turn back to Alice and hug her tightly. "Happy New Year, bestie." I kiss her cheek.

"Happy New Year, bestie." She kisses me back. "Resolution for this year. To find your soulmate. Here, put this in your bag." She hands me the Polaroid.

"Alice."

"No, Bella. He is. I'm sure of it. And we'll find him." I know better than to bet against Alice.


	4. Chapter 4

_Four months later - April. _

Part of me hoped after Alice's New Year's Eve party that I'd get a phone call from Edward, and that maybe the Polaroid of me he'd picked up hadn't had the number rubbed off.

January came and went and now it's April and still not a word.

Alice is adamant he's my soulmate and that fate will bring us back together and I love my best friend, but I'm losing my faith.

I've always been a workaholic but even more so now, I've completely buried myself in my work. Pulling even more shifts and offering to travel to our sister veterinary office.

I'm at Kings Street Station in downtown Seattle this morning, travelling to a veterinary symposium on the other side of the city. I wouldn't normally get the train but traffic will be a nightmare and I figured this would make my life a whole lot easier.

But now I've arrived and remembered how busy this station gets during the week and I'm regretting my choice. Ugh, there must be about a thousand people here!

I'm standing by the departure board looking for the platform that I need to get my train, I look down to check my ticket and see a flash of bronze hair walk by a few people away.

Anxiety immediately floods my body and my heart rate picks up.

_Is it? Or is it just my imagination? _

I check my watch and finding I have plenty of time before my train departs and before I lose all my courage I decide to follow the hair.

Having not seen Edward out of costume, it's hard to tell and it's even harder to tell from just the back.

I try and follow for a while but in a second whoever it is has slipped away from my view.

I stop walking and turn around to go and find my platform. My heart rate is still pounding with anxiety racing through my body.

It wasn't him. How could it be?


	5. Chapter 5

_Four months later - August. _

Another four months has passed. I haven't been back to the train station. Even though I've needed to travel to the same place again. This time I decided to drive.

I haven't seen any more flashes of that bronze hair, even though everywhere I go anxiety riddles my body expecting to see him.

Alice has basically turned herself into a Private Investigator. She hoped she'd run into that Rosalie woman back at the gym, but she hasn't. It's almost like they all just vanished without a trace.

She hasn't even been able to find any of Edward's supposed travel writing which we both think is odd.

Now it's August and she's back in full swing for the planning of this year New Year's Eve party.

My birthday is next month but Alice knows better by now than to even try to plan anything for that.

"So I'm going to do… Bella, are you even listening to me?"

I look from the wall I was staring at back at Alice. "Huh?"

"I figured as much." She gives me a disapproving look.

"Sorry. What were you saying?" I pick up my latte and take a sip.

"That I'm having the New Year's Eve party at the same hotel this year."

"Okay?"

"In case Edward decides to turn up. Obviously I can't invite him, but I'm hoping if it's in the same place that he'll just appear."

"Alice…"

"No, don't 'Alice' me in that tone. Bella, you've honestly been moodier and more mopey about this guy that you were talking to for what an hour? Than you were over your breakup of a relationship that you were in for four years! So obviously you know that it's meant to be something so just let me do this for you!"

I sigh. "I just… I don't wanna get my hopes up, Ali. Sure he was great and good-looking and maybe everything I've been looking for but it's been eight months and I haven't heard a word. I'm not hard to find, he knows I'm a veterinarian, all it takes is a quick Google search."

"But we couldn't find him, and he said he was a travel writer. Have you ever Googled yourself?"

"Well, no."

"So there you go. Do you know how many hundreds of veterinary offices there probably are in Seattle and the surrounding area? He isn't gonna ring them all and ask if they have a Doctor named Bella working for them. Then there will be even more people thinking he's a nutcase."

I laugh. "Thanks, Alice."

"Yeah I know, you'd be lost without me."

"I really would."

"Now let's continue planning this party and I don't want to hear a single excuse about you not coming."

I salute her and she gives me the finger. I throw my head back in a laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

_Four months later - December 31st - 11:00pm. _

Alice's party is back in full swing, like every year. We both decided against a costume party this year, so she went with a black tie theme instead.

Because it is isn't a costume party, Alice doesn't trust me to find my own outfit, probably fearing I'd come in my vet scrubs, so I'm wearing a one shouldered little black dress, although it's more mid length so not so little. She even chose my clutch bag, making sure I brought the Polaroid with me… _just in case. _Except she doesn't know that it hasn't left my purse all year.

Alice put up posters about the party all over her gym, just in case she'd been missing Rosalie all year. She told everybody about it, at the supermarket she goes too, the dry cleaners, even our Chinese takeout spot. Although Alice is thankful that not many people from those places have actually turned up.

I'm so thankful that I have Alice in my life and that she's done so much this year to try and bring me back up. That she went basically full Inspector Gadget to try and find Edward. But it's almost been a full year, and it's fast approaching midnight… he isn't coming.

I've been glued to Alice's side all evening, but as it approaches closer to midnight I decide I want to be by myself. I squeeze her hand and wander off towards the windows at the back of the Penthouse. Fireworks are already starting to go off all over the city which this hotel has an amazing view of.

I'm watching the fireworks and just looking out over the city that I'm lucky enough to call home when I feel that there's somebody standing beside me, figuring it's Alice I turn to her to tell her that I just want to be alone. But it isn't Alice and I'm stunned into silence.

"You're a very hard person to track down, Bella."

I turn to look at Edward, who is looking absolutely delectable in a tuxedo. "I don't think it should take a whole year to find somebody though." I look at him and he's looking intently back at me. "What happened?"

"I came to the party with my sister, Rosalie and we had a family emergency so we had to leave. I'm sorry that I disappeared, I didn't have the time to try and find you to explain."

"What about the Polaroid? Didn't you take it? The phone number on yours had been rubbed off, someone had split something…"

He pulls out his wallet and takes the Polaroid from it. I gasp. "It had rubbed off on yours too. I tried so hard to find you Bella, I swear. You don't even come up on Google, it's almost like you didn't exist at all. I've kept this picture with me all year. So I didn't forget your face."

I open the clutch bag I'm carrying and pull the Polaroid from it. "I've been carrying yours too." I blush. "And I could say the same about trying to find you. Maybe the internet was plotting against us."

He smiles. "I am sorry. I felt such a connection with you and it killed me to just leave like that."

I bite my lip. "I thought it was just me."

He grabs my hand. "No, it wasn't just you."

We're looking at each other when everybody around us starts the countdown to midnight.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

We move closer to each other as if without thought.

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everybody starts to cheer.

"Happy New Year, Bella."

"Happy New Year, Edward."

I push up on my tiptoes and slip my arms around his neck and push my lips against his. I can't help but smile into the kiss.

There's a flash next to us and we pull away to find Alice standing there with a Polaroid camera taking a photo. She grins at me and shakes the Polaroid around and hands it to me. "I told you he'd come back."

I take the picture from her and slip it into my clutch bag. "Yeah. I know not to bet against you, Alice."

I turn back to Edward and grin at him. "I'm so glad you came."

"Even without an invite?"

"That's why Alice held the party here again. Just on the off chance."

"Well I'm glad she did. Maybe fate just looks like Alice."

"Yes, I think it does." I smile. "Now shut up and kiss me some more."

He laughs and then does just that, but then he pulls back. "I hope we've got all year to carry on though?"

"Years and years to come." I kiss him again.

Who knew he'd come back here? And that he'd been trying to find me too?

Never ever bet against Alice.

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**Thank you for joining me on this journey today - I hope you have enjoyed it. **

**Jennifer, I hope you've enjoyed this tale. **

**I said this last year... maybe I'll write again before the next FAGE! **

**I do love to hear what you have to say so please leave me a review. **

**Thank you once again to IdealSkeptic, HoneymoonEdward, MarieCarro and others... I heart you all. **

**P.S. It makes me so warm and fuzzy that it's over ten years since the first movie came out and that we are all still here. I love this fandom so much. Let's never go anywhere, okay? **


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